April 25, 2033: A Letter to My Former Self 10 Years from Today
Diarra, Hi girl! How is college life treating us? This year, 2033, marks exactly 10 years in the future from when we were a junior at the University of Portland. As you can imagine, a lot of things have changed since then. Many of which we may not have anticipated. After college, we stayed in Portland for two years for UP's PACE program. We were offered a few jobs after graduation - because we are absolutely awesome :) - but decided to move back to California to be closer to mom and the doggies. And if that doesn't surprise you enough, guess what school we have been working at since graduation??? St. Bridget of Sweden!
Now...I know what you're thinking. What?! Why?! How?! WHY?! Trust me, I know it sounds crazy, sometimes I have to pause and reflect on it myself. But when we were looking for open Kindergarten teaching positions at Catholic schools in the area, SBS showed up and we decided to apply just for the fun of it, fully not expecting to be invited for an interview AND being offered the position AND accepting the offer! As you are probably imagining, working at our elementary/middle school provides an experience like no other. Yes, it was hard for us to get used to the many changes implemented since we attended, but our coworkers and administration are incredibly helpful, kind, and open to collaboration. We never fear sharing our thoughts and are always included at faculty meetings - even as a first-year teacher. I know that this all may seem very shocking and unexpected, but I ecourage you to keep and open mind and an open heart to loving a new version of the school that was so important in shaping our philosophies on teaching.
I hope this letter helped calm some of your anxiety for the future rather than creating more. But I promise that there is great success and happiness for us in the future. Believe me, I've been there! Good luck with your finals! Also, I hope you appreciated my use of all Sesame Street gifs; I thought they were so cute!! Have fun with the next 10 years of your life. Love, Yourself <3
Featured image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay